Airbus Pioneer, Günter Scherer, has Died

The crew of the very first Airbus test flight. From left to right:
Pierre Caneill; Max Fischl; Romeo Zinzoni; Bernard Ziegler; Gunter Scherer. (Photo: Airbus)
The crew of the very first Airbus test flight. From left to right:Pierre Caneill; Max Fischl; Romeo Zinzoni; Bernard Ziegler; Gunter Scherer. (Photo: Airbus)

Günter Scherer, the German flight test engineer on board the Airbus A300’s first flight on October 28, 1972, passed away on May 26 2018 in Toulouse. Mr Scherer was 85 years old.

A native from Duisburg, Germany, Günter Scherer had devoted his whole life to aviation and flight testing. After graduating from RWTH Aachen with a degree in engineering he started his career in 1961 at what was VFW in Bremen at the time. In 1962 he joined the joint Franco-German Transall military transport aircraft programme. As such, he was one of the very first German flight test members to be graduated from the French flight test school EPNER (Ecole du Personnel Navigant d’Essais et de Réception) in 1961.

Airbus described Mr Scherer as a “convinced European”, who believed in European cooperation as key for a successful aerospace industry in Europe, Günter Scherer joined the SNIAS French Aerospace Company, where he participated to the preliminary work for the Airbus aircraft flight tests. He was flight test engineer in the first ever Airbus flight on Oct 28, 1972 when the A300 took off.

In 1977, this allowed to establish the first integrated multinational flight test team, continuing the European integration which he strongly believed in. His former employers said he was instrumental in the development and flight test of the A300, A310 and subsequently the first Fly by Wire controlled A320. He retired in February 1997.

Airbus CEO Tom Enders, paid tribute by saying: During all his years at Airbus, Günter had been much appreciated by all his colleagues, who valued his human gentleness, directness and respect for others. Günter Scherer will be remembered by the Airbus community as a man of great integrity and a source of inspiration.

“Günter was a pioneer of Airbus, a strong advocate of Franco-German and European cooperation in our industry. He was thus a solid rock in the foundation of Airbus and will be long remembered.”